Target exchanger



Feb-'1, 1949 LE ROY si .JEssEN TARGET EXCHANGER Filed June 24, 1944 All.

y INVENTOR. f Qm/ dissi/v 477g mex/. y

Patented Feb. l, 1949 D sra-'rss ar iar- FICE v EXCHANGER Le Roy S. Jessen, Dayton, Ohio.

ApplieatnLE-iie 24g-1944, Serial No. 541,979

5 Claims. (ci. 27s-105.3) v

(Granted underxthe act of-March 3, 11883, as. amended April 30; 1928; 370 r.. Gr. '757).-

Another object is to provide a target exchang mechanism which will minimize the danger of. the tow cable breaking accidentally.

A further object is to simplify the construction oi target releasers or exchangers by reducing vthe number of moving parts therein.

Other objects will become apparent uponf c'onsidering the fcliowing specification which, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrate preferred types of the invention.

Broadly, the invention comprises av terminal member xed to tow cable, said yterrrnnal meine ber having an stretched a lead cable to a towed target and; an

exchanger including an anvil adapted' to receive a target' lead cable and-a cutter on'sai'di eX'- changer adapted to engage the first named anvil and shear the cable thereacross.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevational view of ay target tow plane with an exchange target on the tow cable',v

anvil thereon across. which is;

cer-tain parts being lshown enlarged; for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a view ci the target end oi?v the'.` tow cable showing `the terminal member and an exchange target on the tow cable;

1Fig. 3 is a longitudinal" cross. section through two successive exchangers on the tow cabl Fig. l is an eno". View of the terminal member or the exchanger;

Fig. 5 is an end view oi they cutter end of an ex ch ang er Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross sectional View ofthe terminal member;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal view, parti-yin cross sec'- tion showing a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is an end View of the Vcutter end of the modification shown in Fig. '.7.

Referring rst to Fig. 1, an airplane Hi has a guide tube i2 iixed in the bottom thereof, through which is strung a tow cable i3. The tow cable I3 is provided with a terminal member I4 (to be described more fully below), to which a sleeve target i5 is attached by a target cable I6. An exchanger i8 carrying a replacement target lo is shown supported en the cable t3. Prior tothe:

releasev of the targ'eti', a plurality oi exchangersi8` (not shown) vare strung on the tow cablefi' andare retained' thereon adj acent the guide tubeY As seen in Figs. 2 and 6 the Aterr-ninal member ifi may comprise a member 22 having a conica-1i recess 23' therein which communicates withA 'an axial bore Ell adapted toY receive' the 'cabi-e.

i3. A conical plug 25, having the same taper as the recess 23, has a continuous-groove 2S. forme on two or' the' sides and across the base. The

l'3l .extends through the. bore* 2i, around'v the reta ed in the recess 23 by the wedging action'. between the plug 25 and the recess 23. A spri .Ig 28. is retained: inl the recessv Z-S'by a capl Q91' screw threaded on to the body 22'. toi wedge' the plug` 25 intov the recess` and insuresretention of they cablel i-l in the recess 23a The exterior oi the'term'inal member ifi lis provided with. an anvil 3i! (Figs. 2i, Li, andv el which is provided witrl four holes substantially axially therethrough. The holes' receivea pair of lead ropes 3% each oi which passes through two of' the: holes 32 as seen in yFigs. 2 and'. 4.

Af cutter guide' 3iv is formed on.l thetorn/ard` orV leading end. of the body 22, aiidcxten'd's liront the anvil face` forward' toward the airnla-lfie for a 11i-urpose more fully set forth below.

llhe exchanger i8 is 'best shown in Figs'. 2', 3, di, and Er, Fig.. 4: 'bei-ng a view ofv either exchanger i8 or theftermirra-lmember it. As best seenv in Fie cutter guide Ail of another exchanger iii.

a cutter which mayk comprise four blades i2 as seen in Figs; Sand 5 or may'ccmprise a cyiindrij.- cal'y blade' or chisel; i3:v as seen in By providing' ioni" chisel-shaped cutter blades as.seen iniFig.l 5,. then passing thele'ad ropes or cables 35 over the end' oi? the anvil as seen in' dan A 4, it will be assured that at least two of the cutter blades willy strike the. two portions oithelead ropes which pass over the' faoe'oi the' anvil. will be noted in the case of the cylindrical blade i3 that the diameter of the cutting edge is less than the diameter upon which the holes Si? in the anvil on the terminal member i@ are set, but is great enough to insure complete severance of the lead cable 35 'byI `the cutter.

The body portion 4D has an anvil 45 formed thereon, which terminates in a cutter guide 41,

hery of the-*plug 5 inthe groove 215, and' is The spring 2B tends.

3 which are identical to the anvil 30 and cutter guide 31 respectively of the terminal member I4. Each anvil 45 has holes 46 arranged exactly like holes 32 in anvil 30 and adapted to receive lead cables 35.

In practice, the cable I3 is threaded through the guide tube I2 and a number of exchangers I8 are threaded on the cable I3 and secured on or adjacent the guide tube. The tow cable I3 is then threaded through the cutter guide 31 on the terminal member I4 and secured therein by the conical wedge 25.

A target I5 is secured to the terminal member I4 by passing the lead cables 35 through the holes 32 and across the anvil 30 as seen in Fig. 4, and the cable I3 payed out through a Winch (not shown) in the plane.

When it is desired to change targets a bundled target I9 is connected to an exchanger I8 by means of cables 35 in a manner similar to the connection between terminal member and the target I5 and the target is launched from the plane. The relative speed of the air and the plane I0 carries the exchanger out along the tow cable I3 until the cutter passing over the cutter guide 31 engages and severs the lead cable 35,

releasing the target I5 which oats to the earth and is recovered by a ground crew.

The jar of the exchanger striking the terminal member breaks the ties of the target and permits :5.

it to billow out to normal length.

Subsequent targets are supplied on the tow cable I3 by attaching them to exchangers I8 in a similar manner. As each exchanger strikes the previous exchanger it cuts the lead cable carried Y thereby, releasing the old target and substituting the new target.

Having thus described the invention, it will be realized that the forms thereof shown and described represent preferred embodiments and that various changes in size, shape, and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to secure by Let ters Patent is:

1. In combination, a tow cable having one end adapted to be secured to an airplane, a terminal member secured to the other end of said cable, an anvil on the forward end of said terminal member, a tow target, a target lead cable secured to the tow target and being connected with said terminal member by extending transversely across the forward face of said anvil, land. rearwardly directed cutting means mounted on and movable rearwardly along the tow cable and engageable with the forward face of said anvil to sever the lead cable where it extends transversely across said anvil and release said target.

2. In combination, a tow cable having its forward end adapted to be secured to an airplane, a terminal member secured to the other end of said cable, an anvil on the forward end of said terminal member, a target lead cable, a target towed by said lead cable, said lead cable being connected with said terminal member by extending transversely across the forward face of said anvil, an exchanger slidable rearwardly on said tow cable, a second target carried by said exchanger, said exchanger including a rearwardly directed knife edge engageable with the forward face of said anvil positioned to engage and sever the lead cable where it extends transversely across the forward face of said anvil and thereby release the rst target.

3. In combination, a tow cable having its forward end adapted to be secured to an airplane, a terminal member secured to the other end of said cable, an anvil on the forward end of said terminal member, a target lead cable, a target towed by said lead cable, said lead cable being connected with said terminal member by extending transversely across the forward face of said anvil, an exchanger slidable rearwardly on said tow cable, a second target carried by said exchanger, said exchanger including a plurality of radially extending knives on its rearward face adapted by impact with said anvil to sever said lead cable where it extends transversely across the forward face of said anvil and thereby release said rst named target.

4. In combination, a tow cable having its forward end adapted to be secured to an airplane, a terminal member secured to the rearward end of said cable, an anvil on the forward end of said terminal member, a target lead cable, a target towed by said lead cable, said lead cable being secured to said terminal member by extending transversely across the forward face of said anvil, an exchanger slidable on said tow cable, a second target attached to said exchanger, said exchanger including an annular knife on its rearward face adapted by impact to engage said anvil to sever the lead cable where it extends transversely across the forward face of the said anvil to release the towed target from the terminal member.

5. In an airplane tow target arrangement including a tow plane and a tow cable having its forward end attached to said tow plane, a terminal member retained on the rearward end of said cable, an anvil on the forward face of said terminal member, a cutter guide integral with the terminal member and extending forward from said anvil, a target lead cable, a target towed by said lead cable, said lead cable being secured to said terminal member by extending transversely across the forward face of said anvil, and cutting means movable along the tow cable and over the cutter guide and co-operating with said anvil by impact therewith to sever the lead cable and release said target.

LE ROY S. JESSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 18,007 Lamkey Mar. 24, 1931 1,971,340 Foulk Aug. 28, 1934 2,310,249 Maskey Feb. 9, 1943 2,376,754 Brickman May 22, 1945 

